Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre open the doors of their £12 million home

Date Fri 7 January 2011

Filed under: Events and Other Interesting Stuff

Leeds based dance companies Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre are throwing open the doors of their new home, on Quarry Hill, on Saturday 22 January from 11.30am - 5pm for a fun packed Open Day. The Open Day will be the culmination of a week of events to celebrate the official opening of the building and will offer the public access to explore the UK's newest dance space. Attendance on the day is FREE, however it is recommended to pre-book a place on any of the activities to avoid disappointment.

The Open Day will be the first opportunity for the public to look around the largest dance space outside London and see for themselves the magic that is created in the seven impressive dance studios. The day will include sneak previews of Northern Ballet's upcoming production of Cleopatra as well as excerpts from other productions performed by the Northern Ballet dancers, taster sessions for open classes, behind the scenes access to the wardrobe and technical departments, performances from Northern Ballet Academy and Phoenix Youth Academy and lots more.

Mark Skipper, Northern Ballet Chief Executive, is delighted to be welcoming the public to the Company's new home:

It is with pride that we open the doors to our fantastic new building - a powerhouse for dance and a landmark in the city of Leeds. The Open Day will be a unique opportunity for us to celebrate our new home with our local community and for the public to find out how they can use the building themselves. The day will be packed with FREE activities, offering a special insight into two of the UK's most treasured dance companies. It will be the perfect day for people to join us and join in.

Phoenix Dance Theatre Artistic Director Sharon Watson agrees:

As well as being the perfect place for our two companies to grow this new building is an incredible facility for the people of Leeds, and this Open Day offers the ideal opportunity for people to see behind the scenes and dance themselves in our brand new studios - and all for free! After 30 years in Leeds without a home of our own, we really can't wait to welcome people through the doors.

Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre's new home offers many opportunities everyone to experience dance for themselves in a bustling creative space. It boasts seven dance studios, including a 230-seat studio theatre and is the largest dance rehearsal space outside of London, a health suite, wardrobe facilities, office space and meeting rooms, a public exhibition, a café and is also home to the Northern Ballet Academy and Phoenix Youth Academy.